(217f) Comparative Life Cycle Study of Conventional Sunscreens and Sunscreens Containing Nanoscale Titanium Dioxide

A Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) is a method for making comprehensive, quantified calculations of the energy use and environmental emissions for the entire life cycle of a product system, beginning with raw material extraction and ending with disposal or recycling at the end of life. This LCI evaluates the full inventory of environmental flows for conventional and nano-TiO2-enabled sunscreens, focusing on results for energy use (including fossil and non-fossil energy use), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and total solid waste. Results are presented for energy use, GHG emissions, and total solid waste for the two sunscreen systems. The result of each category is normalized by the result of that category for the nano-enabled sunscreen and expressed as a percentage.

In addition to developing a quantitative LCI, the purposes of this study included documentation and discussion of the methodology, data, results, and uncertainties of the results of a comparative LCI of two materials (sunscreens in this case) one that uses nanoscale titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) as an ultraviolet light (UV) blocker and one that uses organic UV blockers.